


Snakes Among Humanity

by love_a_sexy_trash_can



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Darkley's has become Darkley's School for Magic of Elements, Discrimination, Dragons, Graphic Description of Violence in Future Chapters, Human-Serpentine Hybrids, Kai and Nya are descendants of long lines of hybrids, Markings, Racism, Shapeshifting, Spies, Sporadic Updates, Summoning, Supernatural Elements, Swearing, The dragons can be summoned almost like demons, Trans Skylor, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-08-30 03:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_a_sexy_trash_can/pseuds/love_a_sexy_trash_can
Summary: A war between humans and Serpentine almost destroyed Ninjago. When a new threat thousands of years later, many will rise to prepare for a new war. Unknowst to most of society, the existence of human-Serpentine hybrids thrived. However, the discovery of two hybrids at Darkley's School for Magic of Elements may be the turning point that changes the future of Ninjago...





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW STORY ALERT! HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Thousands of years ago, there was a war between humans and Serpentine. Millions were killed on both sides. Despite all the bloodshed and death, the humans won. Every Serpentine race was outcasted and belittled, treated less than living beings. However, there were many people who believed the new generations of Serpentine were not the same as their ancestors. "The faults of your people's pasts should not define your deeds as your own," these people said to justify their trust and bond with the Serpentine. After all, not all humans were like their ancestors from the war. However, many of those people were shunned as well, believed to be traitors of their own kind and dangerous to be around.

As the years passed by, Serpentine cults formed by humans arose, believing they could use the magic of Ninjago to turn into Serpentine themselves. The most known was the Anacondrai cult. They were known to have the purple snake tattoos that, when the spell was completed, would turn all those marked into mock Anacondrai. There was almost another war. Many innocent people were affected, not knowing the true purpose of the cult. Many went into hiding, the rest killed.

Unknown to most of humanity, while the events leading up to the war that almost started occurred, Serpentine and humans had mated, bringing to the world human-snake hybrids. These hybrids would never pass in human society, their Serpentine heritage giving them away- patches of scaly skin, fangs, hissing, pointed ears compared to the elves. They were accepted among the Serpentine and the humans who still believed the Serpentine were good. Eventually, the hybrids would either mate with other hybrids, Serpentine, or humans. For the offspring of the hybrid-human couples, they gained more humanistic features. Many could return to the human world of Ninjago and, if they kept their Serpentine heritage a secret, lived normal lives among the people.

However, these offspring's secret heritage would never disappear. Most were born with marks that identified them as still reptilian. As magic was a work that progressed from being the reason one would be persecuted to being a practice many desired to learn, those with these marks could shapeshift into Serpentine bodies and harness the natural abilities of the snake tribes they descended from. Most never gain this ability as the schools that teach the practice of magic were difficult to get into. The rest never attempt to do so.

Until a threat deep inside the Serpentine race arose, growing for over centuries, feeding off the hatred for the human race and thirst for revenge. The discovery of two descendants of two long lines of hybrids in the most prestigious school, Darkley's School for Magic of Elements, sparked the hatred, prejudice, and mistrust that had accumulated over the years, pushing forward what could become a war...

* * *

"But why do whole-bloods hate us so much?" Nya Smith asked her father, hugging her teddy bear tightly. She tugged on one of her ears nervously. She hated having to hear these stories, but her parents and brother insisted it was so she could be safe with her secret heritage. Her father smiled sadly and reached over to mess with her hair. "Hey, no!"

"The world is filled with prejudice and hate. We assume things about certain groups of people and associate the innocent with these stereotypes," Ray explained. Although he was noticeably tired, his son humphed and crossed his arms.

"I would never do that. Give me good reasons to not like you, then yeah, I wouldn't like you at all," Kai said before yawning. He rubbed his eyes. Their mother, Maya, chuckled.

"Alright, I think it's well past your bedtime for the both of you," she teased and tucked her children in their shared bed. "Remember Kai, you have to practice a little more before you can attempt to enter Darkley's, okay? You too, Nya."

"Okay. We love you, Mommy, Daddy," the siblings said simultaneously. Kai hugged his sister close as if he was protecting her in their sleep. Before she fell asleep, Nya pulled her brother's ear as well and giggled when his face scrunched. His ears were only the slightest bit pointier than hers.

"Nya, stop bothering your brother. Go to sleep both of you. We love you both so much," Maya whispered in the darkness of the room, not that it seemed dark to her or the rest of her family. They could all see perfectly well in the night. Even as the door closed and she knew she should obey her mother, Nya couldn't help but at least trace the marks she and her brother had. Kai's was on his left arm on the skin opposite to his elbow, in the shape of a snake burning. Nya's mark was on the same part of her body but on her right arm, and it was a snake surrounded by puddles of water. She thought their marks fit them well; she just wished they were easier to hide. She and Kai had to wear long sleeves a lot. She wondered how long it'd be before they could unlock the ability to shapeshift into Serpentine. What would a tail be like?

"Nya, stop touching me," her brother hissed softly. Giggling again, Nya listened and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Kai took a deep breath, the realization that he would be leaving his family behind in Ignacia for who knows how long to go to Darkley's School for Magic of Elements finally crashing down on him. Nya would join him in three years' time, but that felt like a long way in his ten-year-old mind. He pulled down his sleeves, hiding his mark. Standing behind him was his family. They were waiting for the carriage that would take him away to the school where he would grow powerful in magic. When they could see it rising from the horizon, Kai turned around and hugged his family for a long time.

"I'll miss y'all so much," he muttered. Nya squeezed his waist tighter.

"We'll miss you too,  _butkhá_ ," the young girl said softly. Soon enough, they could all hear the clip-clop of the carriage horses. Maya and Ray stroked their son's head and back to calm him. They could feel his anxiety rising.

"Remember, hide who you are and stay safe," Ray warned.

"And make friends as well," Maya added. Kai nodded. The carriage was right in front of them.

"Future students of Darkley's School for Magic of Elements, get your asses on here!" the driver cussed in a gravelly voice. He had long brown hair kept tame by a straw hat. He had an eyepatch over his right eye and he seemed to not have shaven for a while. Smiling at his family and whispered a soft goodbye, he grabbed his luggage beside him and stepped into the carriage. There were already others there, three other boys. It was a little hard to see every detail about them, but Kai's eyes adjusted to the slight darkness instantly. One of them had dark skin and ebony hair, the second was almost the complete opposite with pale skin and silvery-blond hair. The last had brown curls and a galaxy of freckles. Staring harder, Kai could see he had two different color eyes, the left an electric blue and the right a chocolate brown. His skin was an in-between of the other two, a fair tone. "Hey, you! Sit down!" the man shouted at Kai. The carriage jerked forward, forcing Kai to sit- meaning, falling on his behind. The boy with the different colored eyes laughed before covering his mouth with his hand.

"Oops, sorry. That was just so sudden. I didn't mean to laugh," he explained himself quickly. Ignoring him for the moment, Kai approached the small window that let in a little light to see and waved to his family until he couldn't see them anymore. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Jay Walker." He held out his hand. Hesitantly, Kai reached out and shook it.

"Cole Brookstone," the dark-skinned boy replied tersely.

"Zane Julien," the pale blond said with a gentle smile.

"Uh, Kai Smith," the boy said, rubbing his backside. It still stung from falling. Jay snorted.

"Is 'uh' a part of your first name?" he joked before bursting out in laughter. Cole groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Jay, shut up or I swear to the First Spinjitzu Master, I  _will_ slap you this time!" he shouted, flexing his arm as a warning. Whimpering, Jay scooted farther away from Cole, which wasn't much since there wasn't much room in the carriage. Zane chuckled.

"As you can see, these two have known each other for a while," he told Kai. "So, since Kai is the last pickup for Ronin," Zane continued, pointing at their driver, "I suppose we should share why we are going to Darkley's. I'll go first. I wish to help and save those who cannot do so themselves with what I learn."

"Goody-two-shoes," Cole muttered. "I'm pretty much rebelling against my father. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and be an entertainer, but I actually want to do something worthwhile in my life. So, yeah. I'm going to Darkley's out of spite."

"Well, I'm going to Darkley's to help stop the rebellion rising among the Serpentine," Jay said matter-of-factly with a smug grin. Cole laughed and held up his hand for a high-five. Zane shook his head, whether in disappointment or at the others' antics, Kai could not tell. The brunet tugged on his sleeves again. Jay wanted to kill his people. He didn't say it but that was what he meant. "What about you, Kai? What are you gonna do with magic?" Kai chuckled nervously.

"Well, mine's gonna sound so lame compared to all of y'all's. I'm doing it so I can become more powerful and help my family. Make 'em proud too," he answered. Cole and Jay nodded in approval, and Zane smiled at him. "Man, I wonder how long it'll take to get there or how long we'll be staying."

"I heard there have been students that have been there for decades learning magic!" Jay commented. Kai gasped. He couldn't let that become him. That would only increase the possibility and risk of his heritage being discovered. And what of Nya? He would need to make sure she worked just as hard as he would. He rubbed his mark through his sleeve. He sighed. Even though one of them had the desire to kill his kind and the others were still mysterious to him, Kai had to make friends. These three would be his first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to a new story that I thought of after thinking about the Serpentine, Kai and Nya's powers, and the Summoner Trilogy by Taran Matharu. A good series, I recommend reading it! Then it'd make certain events in this story more understandable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A war between humans and Serpentine almost destroyed Ninjago. When a new threat thousands of years later, many will rise to prepare for a new war. Unknowst to most of society, the existence of human-Serpentine hybrids thrived. However, the discovery of two hybrids at Darkley's School for Magic of Elements may be the turning point that changes the future of Ninjago...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaayyy, I'm back! Here's the second chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

It was not as grand a building as Kai had initially thought, but Darkley's still towered over the grounds. Jay gasped at the sight of the school. There were small groups of children of different ages sitting on the front lawn. They all lugged their belongings, Cole muttering a curse under his breath directed at their driver, who only smirked and propped his feet up.

The boys stood there on the grass for a few minutes when everyone heard a loud gong. Several of the children jumped to their feet and stood by their bags. The doors opened and there walked out the man that owned, ran, and taught at Darkley's School for Magic of Elements. Wu, an elder but also known as a powerful man and brother. He carried a staff in his hand, his eyes ordering the children to line up for order. He knocked a few students on the head before everyone obeyed.

"Glad to see so many willing students come to learn the art of magic. Why don't we all go inside and begin your orientation?" Wu said, slowly stroking his beard. All the children obeyed and went inside. Just like how it wasn't grand on the outside, the school was not very large on the inside, the hallways crowded with many students, both current and future. Surprisingly, there weren't that many students enrolled either.

The future students gathered in a large auditorium where they could spread themselves out easily. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted to a much more tense feeling. Wu narrowed his eyes and pointed his staff at each of the students as he spoke.

"Many of you came here for some sort of reason. However, I will tell you all right now that not everyone will be able to attend this school. One must be brave, willing to sacrifice everything to be an Elemental Master, the title you earn when you have the ability of an element. Of course," the old man smirked, "you must have magic inside you as well." He clapped his hands. "But that is for the second test. Right now, we begin with your first test: bravery. Who is our enemy?" he asked the children. Several hands went up. Wu gestured to Jay.

"Serpentine," the freckled boy answered. Wu nodded.

"Correct. So now you will all face one." Kai's breath hitched. They had captured a Serpentine? What had the old man done to them?

One of the tiles of the auditorium's floor disappeared and a platform rose, a large vivarium on it. An enormous purple snake slithered inside. "Here, an Anacondrai. Just a baby. Which of you is brave enough to come in contact with it?"

Kai bit his tongue to prevent it from flicking past his lips and out his mouth. It hurt, especially when he accidentally used his fang-like teeth. However, the old man was either lying or was just as ignorant as the rest of these humans that were cowering and shaking, some even near tears. He knew that the snake was not actually an Anacondrai, but because of it's purple scales, people use them to instill fear in one's enemies.

Kai was the first to step forward and approached the vivarium. He removed the cover and reached in, carefully bringing the snake out. Many of the children took several stumbling steps back, including his new "friends". He stroked the reptile's scales and stared into its eyes. He felt the underbelly and smiled.

"Hey, girl. Are you okay?" he whispered. He made sure not to use words with an S so he wouldn't hiss. The snake's head came closer to his face, her tongue flicking at his cheek. He giggled while the others in the room gasped. He heard someone say how gross that was.

"Well, aren't you brave," Wu commented, standing beside the boy. "What's your name?"

"Kai. Kai Smith," the brunet answered. The snake wrapped her body around the base of his neck. Not to constrict him like some of the kids were muttering, but to become closer to him and possibly to feel warm. Although he was part Serpentine, because of his mark, Kai was abnormally warm for both a Serpentine and human. He was glad for that; it would most likely throw everyone off.

"Are you not afraid of the snake, Kai?" Wu asked, stroking his beard. Kai shook his head. "I see. Well, hand the beast to someone else. At least, if anyone is willing."

At this, Jay straightened and stomped forward, holding out his arms. As quietly as he could, Kai whispered an apology to the snake before handing her over to the freckled boy.

Jay sucked air between his teeth, the realization of what he was doing suddenly crashing down on him. He whimpered at the scaly feeling of the snake's skin. Shifting from foot to foot, he hurriedly handed the reptile over to Cole, taking the dark-skinned boy by surprise.

* * *

More than half of the children sent back home by nightfall. Those who left were incapable of handling the serpent. Kai shook his head as discreetly as he could. Humans were so, so stupid.

They were ordered to sleep in the auditorium. Until the second test, no one was allowed to have a room. Kai scratched his mark through his sleeve, wondering what the test would be like. He knew he would pass it; he used magic to shed his skin when he desperately needed to.

However, he was nervous. This was his first of many nights away from home. He had grown used to Nya curling into him for warmth. She was colder than him and needed the warmth. He was worried for her but had to remember their parents were still there to take care of her. He had to worry about himself now.

Sighing and flipping onto his back, Kai shut his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Kai stood in the middle of the auditorium while the rest of the children were against the walls, observing him. He would be the first to take the second test because he was the first to handle the snake.

He felt the old man's staff poke him in the back. He growled softly. It actually hurt a bit.

"What makes you believe you have the ability to be in this school?" Wu interrogated, circling the boy. He narrowed his eyes, almost as if he was scanning him to see what magic he had. "Prove to me that you have magic inside you. Show me what element courses through your veins."

Kai closed his eyes and focused. He remembered the forge in the blacksmith shop. The molten metal. The radiating warmth of his mark...

His ears registered the shocked gaps of the other children and opened his eyes. He still felt warm, much more than usual. He looked down.

He was on  _fire_. The old man stared at him, lowering his staff. He held out a finger and traced in the air. A sigil of a swirling fire took shape. As it faded, Kai felt something burning his left palm. He looked down and saw that the sigil was now branded on his skin. Slowly, the fire went out and the mark, previously glowing, dulled to black ink.

"A Master of Fire. Very powerful. Next!" Kai ran for the wall and watched the testing of the other students. A handful couldn't do anything. But those that could...

Jay sent sparks of electricity, Cole destroyed one of the columns with a small earthquake, and Zane froze the area of the floor he stood on and what surrounded him. One boy with messy grey hair turned into a puff of smoke. While one boy simply disappeared in the light, another jumped from one shadow to another. There were two girls as well, one who nearly made the air unbreathable with toxins and the other changed her shape to look like the old man. Everyone laughed except Wu.

One boy became metal and a blind boy shattered a glass window with a high-pitched scream. One boy with shades and slicked hair moved quicker than what was possible, and another boy with "reverse-skunk" hair was able to figure out what everyone was thinking at that very moment, even the old man. Kai had to make sure he wasn't thinking about his family. Finally, there was one last boy with dark skin and red dreads. He had a difficult time proving he had magic until he touched three people, with Kai being one of them. Soon, the boy was trying to control fire, sound, and metal.

"Ah, amber," the old man said. He traced a sigil that only swirled. "What is your name, boy?"

"Skylor and I'm no boy." There were muttered whispered and snickers. Wu raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Then what are you?" Skylor stepped forward.

"A girl and that's how I'll use my magic," Skylor answered proudly. Wu nodded.

"Then we shall all refer to you as a girl. It only seems right to me. Now, back to the wall!" Wu now stood in the center. "Everyone that is left in this room will be attending this school. Your upperclassmen, Bolobo and Gravis, will take over now." As the old man left the room through the double doors, two men entered from the same direction. One had a full beard and carried a staff wrapped in vines. The other wore a turban and had a goatee. What was interesting was that the second man was not even touching the ground.

"Well, this is the biggest class I have ever seen in my life," the bearded man commented and laughed heartily. "I am Bolobo, Master of Nature."

"And I am Gravis, Master of Gravity. We will be detailing your stay here at Darkley's, what your days will be scheduled as, and, of course, show you all to your rooms," the floating man, Gravis, explained.

"But we must warn you, never misuse your magic. You will be kicked out and possibly stripped of your magic," Bolobo cautioned, a sorrowful look in his eyes. "We had such a case in our year, and two more many years before us." Gravis approached the children and loomed over them.

"Remember that this is also a prestigious school. If we discover any spies or any other traitors, you will suffer the same consequences for misusing magic. Perhaps... even killed." The room fell silent and Gravis smiled. "Thankfully, we never had to deal with such a situation yet. Now, follow us."

Kai looked down and shuddered. Unbeknownst to him, someone else reacted the same way to Gravis's words.

* * *

Kai cheered as he jumped and landed face-up on his new bed. His new room was so spacious! He loved it already. He heard Gravis chuckle and looked up.

"What's so funny?" the young boy queried. His upperclassman shook his head.

"No, it just always makes my soul feel lighter when I see people so happy. It's been a while. We've gone years without any new students." A frown took over his face. "You know, this was actually his old room." Kai raised an eyebrow and scooted onto the edge of the bed.

"Who?" He noticed the upperclassman bite his lip before he took a deep breath to answer.

"Morro. He was a Master of Wind. He was a great guy. He was so skilled. But..." Was Gravis crying? "Well, he let the power get to him and went rogue, trying to harness magic that he did not have in him. Wu had to let him go. Well, he says that, but we all know Morro ran away. Now it's just me and Bolobo." Kai tilted his head and frowned.

"I'm so sorry. Small class, I bet." Gravis chuckled at the comment.

"Yeah, it really is. Well, I leave you here. Enjoy your new room. Take... care of it, please." The upperclassman left, finally giving Kai the chance to relax. Quietly, he started to hiss. Watching what he said could be so tiring. It made him appear dumb to others. But they could never understand.

He couldn't wait to learn magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See y'all next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK, THIS TOOK A LONG TIME

It was only the first few weeks of the diverse students' stay at Darkley's but they all agreed on one thing: Wu was a strict and mysterious man. They also all hated him.  
  
Jay collapsed on the ground, exhausted after being pushed past his limits to harness the electricity that ran through his veins. He groaned out in pain, "I am... so e... exhaust... ed. Oh sweet First Spinjitzu Master, my lungs hurt."   
  
His new friends, Cole, Zane, and Kai, joined him outside on the front lawn. They huddled together in the shade of a large sakura tree. Eventually, once they cooled down, Kai edged his way back into the sun.   
  
"Is this child abuse? I don't think that old man can do this to us!" Cole shouted. His muscles ached; even his butt was so sore it hurt to sit. Zane groaned and rubbed his temples with the heels of his palms. It was too hot outside for him. If he weren't so exhausted he would have been able to keep himself cool.   
  
"Perhaps we should have looked into this a little more before we decided to enroll," Zane said.   
  
"You think? I am so stressed!" Jay shouted. Zane lightly kicked his leg. "Hey!"   
  
"Stop shouting, my head really hurts," the blond said calmly. The smaller boy mumbled an apology.   
  
"Hey, Bolobo! Can we talk to you?" Cole called out, spotting the upperclassman a short distance away from their group. The older man approached the boys and smiled.   
  
"What is it? Oh wait, let me take a guess," Bolobo suddenly said, holding up a hand to stop the others from speaking. "Wu is really handing all of you your asses in training and you don't like him very much? Am I right?"   
  
"Uh, yes. But how did you-" Jay started before his sentence broke off.   
  
"Trust me, Gravis, Morro, and I went through the same thing, as well as students before us. That's just how Wu is, pushing us past our limits. Let me tell you a story." Bolobo sat down to join the boys. "You know how Wu is a brother?" The boys nodded, already excited. “Well, he went through the same thing with his brother, Garmadon. It was what they needed to become the gods they practically are. Their father trained them well. Of course… Actually, never mind.” Bolobo tried to stand up, but Cole and Jay were on top of him.

 

“No, what? Tell us!” Jay shouted, wrapping his arms around the upperclassman. Cole held onto Bolobo’s shoulders, keeping him down.

 

“Uh, alright, I guess.” Bolobo nudged the two children with his staff and got more comfortable. Kai shifted away from him. “Aren't you going to get too hot, sitting there in the sun?” Kai shook his head, not a word. “Okay. Well, like I said, Wu and Garmadon are basically gods with their powers. Wu is Creation. Garmadon is Destruction. The two most power essences in all of Ninjago. But, of course, with great power comes great responsibility, especially for Garmadon. Destruction can turn its wielder evil, and I heard that was what happened to Garmadon. Then again, there are rumors that he joined the remaining Anacondrai cult.”

 

Jay shuddered visibly but still uttered a soft “Ew.” Kai pulled his knees to his chest, suddenly feeling sorry for this Garmadon man. Maybe he tried to leave before it was too late?

 

“Yeah, it's horrible. I guess that's why the older fucker pushes us so hard, so we know who we are and don't turn. Oops, sorry. Should have I said that word?” Bolobo covered his mouth after realizing he let a cuss word slip in front of children. They only smiled at him. “Guess you don't mind then. Of course, just because you push doesn't mean anything. I mean, Morro turned and he was a good kid.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Kai suddenly said, being the only one of the four to actually know about Morro. The others had confused looks on their faces. “I'm sure he was. No one could have ever known.” Bolobo smacked his lips and nodded slowly, his eyes watering.

 

“True. Hey,” he said, changing the tone of his voice and shifting the atmosphere to something more lighthearted. “Better finish your break or else you might miss lunch.”

 

Before Bolobo could even finish his sentence, Cole leapt up and ran for the building, ignoring the aching all over his body. The others shouted and tried to catch up with him. Bolobo just laughed at the four of them.

* * *

 

”Is my face changing at all?” Skylor asked Chamille. She was sure her face was more chubby than the previous week. “Am I making the right choice, or should I wait? Maybe I shouldn't do this at all.”

 

“First of all, shut up, you look fine. Second,” Chamille continued, counting with her fingers, “you don't know if you'll get another chance to do this. If you change your mind now, who knows what will happen in the future?”

 

Skylor smiled and stood up. “Thanks. Here, I'll make room for Tox. I'm gonna go sit somewhere else.”

 

“You sure? We don't mind if you sit here,” Chamille said. Skylor patted her shoulder and shook her head.

 

“Nah, it's fine. I'll see you later, anyway.” The girl waved before turning away. As she left the room, Tox jumped on top of Chamille, screaming a battle cry.

 

Skylor made her way to her room before closing the door. Lunch lasted for an hour; she would eat later.

 

Her room was spacious, which was perfect. She looked at her hands and closed her eyes. Who should she become now that she finally had Form?

 

Opening her eyes, her palms were more calloused and slightly larger. Her skin was lighter as well, a dark tan. She looked up to see herself in the mirror.

 

Kai stared back at her. His amber eyes flickered around, occasionally glinting green when the light struck them at the right angle. His hair was messy in a bed-head-that-was-styled way.

 

Skylor grinned. This was good. She was closer now. She just needed more time. And to not get caught.

 

Now, why did she turn into Kai? Skylor tucked that into the back of her mind and turned back to her own body, albeit reluctantly.

* * *

 Kai huffed, scratching at his arms. His skin was getting drier as scales tried to form but couldn't. He was alone in his room and it was nighttime. No one would notice if he was quiet.

 

Right?

 

His parents had warned him repeatedly of how painful it would be to transform when he first attempted. They were right, it was complete agony, but he got a tail out of it and was practically invincible.

 

He wondered if Nya had succeeded in doing the same. On one hand, he would be very proud. On the other, he wanted to be there for his sister because of the pain.

 

Did fake Anacondrai go through the same pain or was it different? Kai snarled in the quiet of his room. He peaked out of his window. The sky was clear, and no one was outside. It was perfect.

 

So, without a second thought, Kai jumped out of his window. Impulsive and stupid, yes, but it was worth it.

 

He ran around the school, where there were endless woods behind it. It wasn't safe to change out in the open. Even though it was nighttime, it was better and smarter to turn under the cover of the trees.

 

This was coming from the boy who, just moments ago, jumped out of his three-story high window.

 

There were paths that had been covered by growing plants, but Kai was able to make it to a small clearing. The moon was still waxing, almost full. The face smiled down at him as if it accepted who and what he was and giving him permission to do what he had to do.

 

Carefully, magic began to pulse in Kai’s mark before flowing throughout his body. His body was glowing, surely, but he had to control the fire unless he wanted to be caught and possibly killed.

 

The pain was still there but, ironically, the burning of the embers seemed to lessen it. Kai wondered what his parents and sister would say. He was barely hissing.

 

However, once it was over, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. But he recovered quickly. Now he was fully Serpentine and the woods were his for that moment.

 

Compared to his parents, his tail was short and not as thick, but he would grow. Besides, it was still strong and he moved quickly. Kai shot forward, occasionally turning invisible, a trick he never truly mastered.

 

By definition, Kai and Nya were Anacondrai. Both of their parents were as well. But Maya had Hypnobrai and Venomari in her blood, while Ray had Fangpyre and Constrictai. So really, Kai and Nya were two of the most powerful hybrids to ever exist, all five tribes coming together to form who they were.

 

They knew some tricks- crushing rocks into dust, burrowing into the ground, forcing people to see or think something else, and tricking others to do what they want. Of course, Maya and Ray had to punish them after trying them out on innocent people who knew and saw nothing.

 

Right now? Kai was simply relaxing. There was no need to leave a trail.

 

That is until he saw a small light. It was in the shape of an orb and it was floating mid-air. It changed color, pink to green, blue to orange, and everything else. As if it had noticed him, the orb of light began to float away, disappearing into the woods. Something in him wanted to follow the little light.

 

So he did.

 

As he followed the light, it seemed to remain as a deep purple, as if it were trying to blend in with the night sky. Kai wasn't fooled.

 

So intent on watching the orb, Kai didn't realize he entered into a new, much larger clearing until he came face to face with a tree.

 

It wasn't actually a tree. It was a dragon camouflaged as the tree it was beside. The light faded as the dragon opened its eyes. Kai swallowed as ever-changing eyes stared back at him. It was not the color that changed; it was almost like the eyes went from reptilian to mammalian and back.

 

The dragon simply snorted, blowing warm air in his face before fall asleep again, apparently uninterested with him.

 

No longer focused on the one dragon in front of him, Kai finally looked around to see where he was.

 

Dragons, everywhere in the clearing. There was a large circle in the ground that appeared to shift the symbols it contained. Even the trees looked different, nothing like Kai had ever seen.

 

Somewhere in the woods, there was a line between the school and the dragons, and he had crossed it. But why was there a divide here?

 

Kai gasped as he saw a red dragon release a plume of fire on the circle before crawling  _through_ it and disappearing.

 

This school was mysterious, alright. And Kai wasn't sure if he liked that anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck school, i wanna sleep


End file.
